Naturally Obsessed

So rememer a few weeks ago I started the vitamin packs...Well I only had 15 packs and there all gone now and I don't think I'll be ordering anymore. One of the four vitamins in the Nutrilite Women's Vitamin Pack is a hair, skin and nails supplement. And I've now for a while now that most if not all hair vitamins contain Biotin and that it triggers really bad breakouts on my face. I thought this time would be different, because I was consuming a lot more water than in the past and I figured it would curb the side effects. Boy was I wrong! When I got down to the last couple packs I started to get these really deep, almost mosquito bite like, bumps on my face..it was bad! As far as the other 3 vitamins in the pack, they seemed to work great, I just don't see the point of me reordering them and not being able to fully use something that I'm paying for :( However, if your skin doesn't have a problem with Biotin, I say go for it! I'm still on the hunt for a good multi vitamin for overall health though. I'll keep you guys posted on that.

In the meantime I will continue to drink plenty of water, exercise regularly and grow my hair the old fashioned way :)

 

Bubbly personality, crazy sense of humor and gorgeous natural hair...That's Amanda Diva!! Bored on the internet, earlier this week, I started going through my Twitter favorites and found a link to Amanda's videos for Black Voices. Jackpot!  I think I watched almost all of them in one sitting. She talks about the latest celeb news, chats one on one with comedians and musicians and gives you hilarious comedy with the help from her alter egos Black Becky, Topra Shanks and Cuzin Sassy lol! I posted a few vids below, some maybe NSFW. Enjoy :)

 Check out more of Amanda Diva for "The Spark" by clicking this link! http://blogs.blackvoices.com/category/the-spark-w-amanda-diva/

About Me...My name is Jonna (just like Donna, but with a J) aka Monchhichi. I'm married with 3 kids..I mean dogs :-) I work at a local hospital in administrative support and I'm also singer. I have 2 vlogs on YouTube: one for natural hair and fun stuff - www.youtube.com/user/ItsMeMonchhichi and one for my music - www.youtube.com/user/JonnaSharnell. I also have an artist fan page on FaceBook - www.facebook.com/JonnaSharnell.

Where do you live? How is the natural hair community there?

I live in the Hamptons Roads area of Virginia. There is a small natural hair group called Hampton Roads Napturals. I'm about an hour or so from Richmond Va and there is a larger natural hair community in that area.

When and why did you decide to go natural?

I got my last relaxer the weekend of July 4, 2008 and I BC'ed on December 18, 2008. I went natural because I wanted to have a more healthy lifestyle overall. I loved the variety of natural hairstyles I saw naturals wearing and I was curious to see what I could do with my hair.

Were your friends and family supporitive? If not, how were you able to move forward?

My friends and family were supportive, but still very anxious about the change. I tend to be a very independent person who does whatever she wants and has her own sense of style. I think my friends and family didn't feel a need to "pat me on my back" and encourage me. And they know not to come out of their mouths just any kind of way to me, so mostly they just asked "sooo..what exactly are you doing with your hair?" I still that to be supportive. They didn't discourage me, but they just wanted to be sure I had really thought about it and wanted to understand my "why" for doing it.

What is your current hair routine?

Because I have seborrheic eczema, I cleanse my scalp/hair once a week alternating between ACV (apple cider vinegar) rinse and homemade tea tree shampoo (recipe can be found on my YouTube channel). Before I cleanse, I coat my hair with some type of oil ( usually coconut) and cover with a plastic cap for 30min to an hour. Then I hop in the shower to rinse and cleanse. After cleansing, I sort of co-wash with Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Threat Invigorating Conditioner and detangle with Giovanni 50:50 Balancing Conditioner. I also cut out any single strand knots. Apply a leave in conditioner (KimmayTube's recipe), oil my scalp and style. I deep condition once a week with Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Mask. For daily moisturizing, I either spritz with water and add coconut or castor oil or I'll spritz with a mix of aloe vera juice, glycerin, jojoba oil and some essential oils. I spray this on my scalp also to help with the eczema. I also use SheaMoisture Curl & Style Milk to moisturize and SheaMoisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie for curl definition and to eliminate frizz.

Do you have any hair goals? What steps are you taking to achieve them?

My goal is to achieve more length, maybe bra strap length by the end of the year. To achieve this, I'm taking more time to detangle and wearing more protective styles. As well as eating healthy, drinking more water and taking vitamin supplements.

Describe your favorite go to natural style...My fave is the puff! To achieve this style is very simple. Just wet hair, add some form of moisturizer (conditioner, leave in, glycerin mix, etc), use gel or hair butter/ shea butter to smooth the edges and pull the hair into a puff with a Goody Ouchless band. Leave as so, or add a hair accessory to spice it up.

Curly girls have more fun because...We are all unique, every coil and kink! Variety is the spice of life!!

I love bangs! They frame the face, add shape and give subtle sass to any hair style. However, I'm too chicken to actually cut my bangs. I like to have fun with my hair and try different looks. Cutting bangs, in my opinion, will limit my style options...and that's no fun lol! So bored over the weekend, armed with a fab twistout and one bobby pin. The steps are super easy...just pin down your bang in and upward direction. Check the pics...

{Before}

{After}

You can position the hair pin where ever you like to create different lengths. Also when you twist your hair, twist it towards the front. This will insure that your hair falls down on your forehead on its's own. Super Easy - Super Cute!

Moms! Would you rock it or pass it on to your little one??

MRA: What advice could you give women on hair care tips? Because a lot of people say "Oh, Melanie's hair is nice", but your traveling all the time. So what products do you use and how do you keep your hair....
MF: Yeah hair care is very, very important! I actually had to cut off like 2 1/2 inches from my hair just because the wear and tear of it, traveling, people doing your hair, heat going on it. More so now then ever, the big thing that I have to do is I really try to deep condition ever time I wash my hair now. There's a really great one that I started using by Sebastian (I believe it's called Sebastian) called Penetraitt, just 2 or 3 minutes in the shower, you leave it in and rinse it out. And then I started using Kerastase, there's a thermal nectar treatment that you can put in like a leave in treatment, I swear by it! I use Moroccan and anything that's really going to keep the hair nourished, is really important. And when you put heat on your hair, as much as I do...unlike today. Today I didn't do anything, just washed it and left it. I try to avoid heat whenever I can, but anything that's nourishing. Kerastase products are amazing! They make a really great deep conditioning masque. Another one that's really good is L'Oreal Absolut Repair, it's a really really good deep conditioner treatment.

The Kerastase Nectar Thermique can be found at JoyBeauty.com and L'Oreal Absolut Repair Masque can be purchased at Amazon.com.
To see more celeb chats with Mr. Amaru, including the full interview with Melanie Fiona, please click the link and subscribe! http://www.youtube.com/user/Amarudontv. Also follow him on Twitter @MrAmaru.

According to TheYBF.com, newly married celeb Lala Vasquez was snapped by the paps while heading back to her hotel yesterday. Looking fab in a white blazer and jeans, striped top and bright red bag. The animal printed shoes gave the look some extra flair. Some may think it's a lot going on with this look, but I love it! And remember ladies your smile is your best accessory, wear it with pride ♥

When and why did you decide to go natural?

I've been natural for over 20 years (I'm 37). It wasn't a big decision, I just wanted to cut my hair...shave it off actually. I wasn't trying to be natural I just liked the hairstyle.

Where do you live? How the natural hair community there?

I live in North Carolina. There are some naturals here, but it's not the norm at all!

What is your current hair routine?

I don't use shampoo at all. I co-wash with Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Conditioner 3 or 4 times a week. I also ust the same conditioner as a leave in. In my opinion, leave in conditioners are just regular conditioners marketed to make you think you need to buy a separate product...it's NOT true! I use my conditioner as a leave in and it works better than anything I've ever done in all of my natural years.

Some days I just rinse my hair with water and a bit of conditioner and let it air dry. I don't do protective styles at all and I wear my hair loose everyday. I also stopped using ouls and butters on my hair. They don't work as good as my conditioner as a styling aid and I don't believe in using 3,4,5 products a day on my hair. I think that naturals pile on products in an attempt to fight their texture. Trying to create a texture that they see on another natural instead of working on their own.

Favorite hair products... I only have 2 favorites....Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Conditioner and Aple Cider Vinegar to clarify. That's it!!

Do you have any hair goals?

I always shave my head every few years, because my favorite style is the baldie. However, I'm challenging  myself to get to at least bra strap length before I cut again.

Favorite hair style... Right now it's the wash and go. I simply co-wash, rinse add a bit more conditioner and let air dry. If a style takes more than 5 minutes to do on my hair...it's not gonna happen.

Your jewelry line is beautiful! How did you get started designing jewelry?

Last year I started making headbands and peacock feather earings to sell on my blog, Target Queen. I got a great response and figured I could really make it this a full time thing if I applied myself.

You have great style, describe the perfect look... The perfect look for me is big wild hair, simple and effortless pieces and some funky shoes. Not too trendy.

What advice can you give to those who are a bit style challenged?

I think a person that is style challenged is simply afraid to wear what she really likes. She may think she can't pull it off, but confidence is the best accessory. If you wnat to wear the opposite of what everyone else is wearing then DO IT!!!

Curly girls have more fun because... We aren't afraid of the rain :-)

Gorgeous lady!! To see of more of Rachel please visit the links below...

Jewelry Shop: http://rachelstewart.bigcartel.com/ Blog: http://targetqueenjewelry.blogspot.com/ 

Twitter: http://twitter.com/rachelstewart Art Site: http://rachelstewart.net/

Photography: http://csphoto-design.com/